Love ~ That is my purpose in life. To give it, to share it, to receive it, to be it. My blogs are intended to share my experiences, good and bad. I hope whatever you read here, you can relate to and take away something useful and inspiring.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Time is a Gift ~

I had one prayer request, for my Tia to experience peace and to hear the truth about God's grace, love and promise of eternal life ♥

In texts and phone calls with my mother, she shared with me the following:

~ Just before I left, I asked Tia if she would like to accept the Lord as her Personal Savior and in her heart. She had the oxygen connected to her, over her mouth and she nodded her head 'yes.' When I asked her if she believed that Jesus Christ died on the cross for all sinners including her, she agreed, and nodded her head 'yes.' I held her hand and prayed, "Because you have accepted him, he promises you eternal life forever." You will see mom and dad in heaven. It was beautiful. ~

My prayer was answered.

God granted me the gift of "time" Wednesday afternoon when I visited her, for it would be only hours before God would call her home. During my visit he offered me a sign that one day, her and I would be reunited.

When God speaks, He speaks LOUDLY ~ I had purchased my Tia flowers, and when I picked them up, all the buds were closed. When I arrived at her bedside I had placed the flowers on the back counter of the room. Halfway through my visit I moved them to the window sill next to her bed. Tia slept my entire visit. And although her breathing appeared labored, she looked peaceful in my eyes. I believe this is how God intended me to see her.

I treasured my time with her as I sat on her bed, holding her hand, sharing stories about Tia with Matt and my Mom. And during the entire stay, I kept praying to the Lord, in my mind and with my heart. As it came time to leave, my eyes glanced at the flowers and I had noticed that one of the buds had opened. I smiled and said, "It opened." I don't think Matt or Mom knew what I meant or even if they heard, but I believe that this was God telling me, "Go in peace. This life on earth is temporary. Your Tia will have a new life, an eternal life, where no sickness will touch her body. She will be at my side."

I kissed her cheek softly and said goodbye. I had wished to hear her call me "Cheena" one last time, but I reminded myself to be thankful for what God granted me thus far. Amazingly my gracious God was not finished! I did get to hear my Tia speak, through my mom. The last few visits mom had with Tia she shared how Tia would ask her, "Where's my Cheena?" Each time mom repeats those words in the tone and manner in which my Tia speaks, I can hear her. She sounds exactly like her. Although that night the Lord took his child home, my heart is filled with joy, knowing that we have such a loving Heavenly Father who died for each one of us and that if we believe and receive him, we will have eternal life when we leave this temporary home.

My day transpired perfectly, because it was exactly how God planned it. He fulfilled my prayer, my desire to see Tia one last time and comforted me when I learned she was no longer with us.

I must confess, that I almost didn't visit Tia that day because I thought work needed me more than I needed to be with her. I thought I'd have time to see her over the weekend. It took me to learn of another family's loss to put things in perspective and to remind myself of the following passage from the book, "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren:

"We need to show love by giving our time. Because when we give someone our time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is the greatest gift you can give someone. Why is now the best time to express love? Because you don't know how long you will have the opportunity. Circumstances change. People die. Children grow up. You have no guarantee of tomorrow. If you want to express love, you had better do it now."

Who is IronTy?

They call me "IronTy." Our choices impact where we are
today. Even the hardships in our life serve a purpose for our future if you allow them to transform the way you think. My
journey hasn’t been an easy one, but I thank God for each experience I've encountered. I am thankful to everyone who taught me something along the way. I am at the right place for today. I am an original crafted perfectly by the hand of God ♥

Live with Integrity. Live with Authenticity. Be the Real You and you can Live with Peace.

Integrity is keeping a commitment even after circumstances have changed ~ David Jeremiah